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Posts for tag: Toe Fracture

At Affiliated Foot & Ankle Care we hear many false statements about toe fractures from patients. These myths can result in chronic pain and long term disability so we’d like to set the record straight:

Myth: “If you can walk on it, it’s not broken.” There are 19 toe and metatarsal bones in each foot. If one of them is fractured, especially if it’s a stress fracture (a hairline crack on the surface of the bone) you may very well be able to walk. In fact, our podiatrists, Dr. Varun Gujral or Dr. Nrupa Shah may need an x-ray to confirm a fracture in your toe.

Myth: “If your toe hurts really badly it’s probably broken.” There are other symptoms besides pain that indicate a toe fracture. These include: bruising, swelling, and a crooked or abnormal appearance of the toe. The pain may actually subside after a few hours in the case of a toe fracture and should not be used as the determining factor for a fracture. In the case of a stress fracture, the pain may only be present when you are active and not when you are resting. Of course, if you heard a snapping sound at the moment your toe was injured and you are in pain, chances are a fracture has occurred.

Myth: “There’s nothing that can be done for a broken toe.” The foot doctor has several treatment options depending on the location and severity of the break. Rest, buddy taping the toe to another toe and using a splint or special shoes to keep the toe in place are all noninvasive toe fracture treatments. In cases of severe fracture, surgery may be required.

Myth: “A broken toe will heal on its own.” A fractured toe that is not treated promptly and properly may result in long term problems, including:

Chronic pain due to the bones not joining

Deformity in the bone structure which may limit range of motion and movement and make it difficult to find shoes to comfortably fit your foot

For these reasons, you should seek medical treatment at our Edison, Monroe or Monmouth Junction office immediately if you believe you may have fractured a toe. Contact us for an appointment by calling: 732-662-3050.

For those of you who follow college basketball—or Big Ten basketball to be exact—the biggest news that surfaced today was that University of Michigan’s senior guard Caris LeVert will be returning for his senior season. LeVert suffered a fifth metatarsal fracture in May 2014 which underwent, what we all thought, successful surgery. However, this past January he suffered another fracture to the same part of his foot requiring him to miss the remainder of the season. Prior to his injury, LeVert was projected to be a first round draft pick in this year’s NBA draft. Sadly, his stock dramatically plummeted after his injury and he was recently projected to be picked early in the second round.

Fifth metatarsal fractures, as we’ve eluded to many times before, are extremely common—in fact, the most common—injuries amongst athletes. With that said, it is also common for athletes to re-injure themselves. This can be avoided, though, with proper technique and proper post-operative care. As far as the technique, the surgeon must make sure the fixation being used fits properly. Sometimes the screw is too small and may break once any kind of weight is put on it; especially weight and force of a collegiate athlete. Post-operatively, patients should not bear weight for at least 4 weeks and even when they do it should be in a CAM (Controlled Ankle Motion) walker. As always, if you have sustained any type of fracture please do not hesitate to call your local podiatrists at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care in Monroe and Edison, NJ. These types of injuries are easily treatable but they need to be caught early.

Caris LeVert is Michigan’s top scorer and best all-around player and he is someone they could have used this past season. What’s interesting about Levert’s return to Michigan is, he wants to pursue and finish his degree. That’s not something you hear from a top-tier athlete who could have potentially gone to the NBA. I would like to tip my hat to him and hope he has a pain-free off-season and a stellar season in 2016. Good luck, Mr. LeVert!

For an athlete, it’s one thing to injure yourself in the offseason of your particular sport. But it’s another thing to injure yourself again during the season…with the exact same injury! Right now, that’s exactly what University of Michigan junior guard Caris LeVert is going through. LeVert has reportedly suffered a complete fracture of his 5th metatarsal on his left foot. The 5th metatarsal bone is one of the most commonly fractured bones in the foot and recurrence of this injury is also fairly common—especially in high-level athletes.

Your metatarsal bones are the longest bones in your foot and are found more-or-less in the middle of your foot. Your 5th metatarsal bone is on the outside—far left or far right—of your foot. You can find it by feeling the outside of your foot for a bone that “sticks out” more-so than the rest of that part of your foot. This is termed the ‘styloid process’ of the bone and this as well as other parts of the bone close to it are often where fractures occur. Treatment for these types of fractures range anywhere from conservative therapy by immobilization in a CAM walker for six weeks or surgical intervention. A lot of the treatment is dependent upon the patient and the surgeon. Whether you’re a normal, everyday person or a college athlete, your local podiatrists at Affiliated for and Ankle Care located in Monroe and Edison, NJ are highly trained specialists and can diagnose and treat any fracture of the foot or ankle. Signs to look for if you think you have fractured your foot are: bruising, swelling, pain, redness, and warmth around the area. If you notice any of these signs and have experienced a traumatic event (such as twisting your ankle), please do not hesitate to call our office.

Caris LeVert is a projected first round draft pick and we hope this does not hinder his chances of going to the NBA. He is expected to have a full recovery so we do wish him the best.